Crown of Thorns and Mother's Day

Yesterday I spent the day planting apple trees with my mom. It was a great time of reflecting on the hard work of motherhood, and bonding together. Digging holes to plant several shrubs, also, left my hands worn, though. As if that weren't enough, I went home and proceeded to uproot several bushes and then got into the "real work". Seeing as we dove into a fixer upper last year, this year we are still doing so much work to rid the property of some very thick brush. Part of that has been removing some huge thorn bushes. The bushes themselves are huge, and the thorns on them, lets just say I've never seen thorns this large in my life.

As I worked very hard to do my best to remove the thorn bushes I found myself stuck several times. I was entangled in briars so thick and hideous I often wondered which direction to pull to work towards freedom. At one point I was bending down very low to saw off the bottom of some thorn stumps and vines (that were also like something from Princess Bride-forget ROUS, this is VOUS vines of unusual size and TOUS thorns of unusual size). When I went to look up, the back of my head caught one of the large thorns and before I knew it, I had it lodged into my scalp. Removal was fun. *cue sarcasm*

This morning, as I ran a beautiful leisurely Mother's Day 2 miler, I was looking back on the beating I took yesterday. I'm covered in scratches and of course poison ivy as well-happy Mother's Day to me haha! As I reflected, it became clear that God was reminding me that Jesus too, took a beating to give me life. See as I clear the flower bed out I am allowing life to grow. Instead of being trapped or tangled or strangled out by thorns, clearing is giving the beautiful and healthy bushes and trees opportunity to thrive. Jesus Himself, wore a crown of thorns. Texting this weekend with some of the most wonderful friends and moms I know, we discussed deep loss. We shared our hearts and our hurts. And I was reminded this morning the first few Mother's Days after losing Joeli. How trapped in sorrow and circumstance I was. The feeling of being trapped by the one thorn stuck in my scalp was a good analogy. Those thoughts of, "where do I start?". "How will I get out of this?".  This one thorn though, seems to pale in comparison to how Jesus must have felt-so trapped and bleeding with many thorns stuck every which direction into his sinless scalp. This man, He knew what it was to face insult, persecution, feel trapped, lonely, bruised, worn, emptied, helpless and abandoned. He hung in the weight of deep loss. He knew sorrow and suffering. He was acquainted with grief. He bore it all to bear life. He bore it all to give me-us life. He bore it all to bear great hope upon my soul.

And so, as I thought about this great sacrifice of love and life my Savior gives, I thought about all the times I have been blessed to also give life to my children. I thought about the scars I bear, the stretching I've endured, the "thorns" I've worn. And they all do pale in comparison to His great testimony of sacrifice, faithfulness and love. But I strive for being poured out in love, as He has exemplified.

So, today I am ever grateful for the crown of thorns, the gift of life He gives, to show me how to better be the humble servant-mother He is calling me to be. I am thankful for His ability to sympathize with my own weaknesses and His acquaintance with grief and His ability to know how rejection feels. His hope-filled promise of restoration!

Be blessed today as you celebrate motherhood!

~Abi

Isaiah 53 New Living Translation (NLT)

53 Who has believed our message?
    To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
    like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
    nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
    a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
    He was despised, and we did not care.

4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.

7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
    yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
    And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
    he did not open his mouth.
8 Unjustly condemned,
    he was led away.[b]
No one cared that he died without descendants,
    that his life was cut short in midstream.[c]
But he was struck down
    for the rebellion of my people.
9 He had done no wrong
    and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
    he was put in a rich man’s grave.

10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
    and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
    he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
    and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
    he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
    my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
    for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
    because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
    He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.